Innovation in Hospitality

The Department of Innovation in Hospitality is concerned with exploring future trends and developments in the hospitality industry. This industry is becoming increasingly important as a source of revenue for countries, regions and cities, creating employment for large numbers of people. While this makes the industry very valuable for the future, it is also in constant flux, with traditional values falling by the wayside and both customers and employees becoming increasingly demanding when it comes to quality and diversity.

The Department, aware of the importance of anticipating future trends, is committed to practical research that supports businesses in the hospitality industry in setting policies and introducing innovations.

Education

The research carried out by the Department of Innovation in Hospitality is also valuable to NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences as a whole, particularly for students and lecturers at the Stenden Hotel Management School. Many of the findings of the Department’s research are incorporated into the curriculum and discussed with students in class. If you are currently a Stenden student and are interested in innovations in the hospitality industry, you are eligible to participate in our research studies. We regularly invite students to help us with our research in some capacity.

Network

We also draw on an extensive network of professionals who provide input for our research, including services industry representatives, hospitality experts and other researchers. Our current partners include the Centre of Expertise for Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH), the Association for Hospitality (Gastvrijheidsgilde), the Small Business Institute (SBI) in the United States and the Council for Hospitality Management Education (CHME).

Research Group

The Professor of Applied Sciences, who heads the research group, is Dr Sjoerd Gehrels, with the other members including lecturers from NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences and field experts.